Snails and the YouWiN route to business success

She is a working and willing advertisement for the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN!) programme aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs. Tonia Ojenagbon proudly tells everyone about her association with YouWin in various platforms.

Her advert in the brochure for the commissioning of a mega church in Lagos sold her snails and proclaimed the link with YouWin. That drew my attention.

The Managing Director of Silton African Kitchen tells her life-changing story with passion. It is a simple one of opportunity meeting preparation and faith in one’s country. Participation in the annual Business Plan competition of YouWin has transformed Ojenagbon’s business beyond her wildest dreams. From being a ‘Jack of all trade’, Tonia today is a more focused entrepreneur with a famous brand, Pepperlicious Snail, and other spin offs like Silton Water and bread. She also plans to establish a snail farm and yoghurt factory.

Mrs Ojenagbon heard of YouWin in its inaugural year in 2011. She followed the application process but hit a brick wall when it came to submitting a business plan. She gave it up but determined to correct the situation the following year by getting a business plan. Drawing up a business plan came at a time she was asking questions about her general catering business. The offers were going to the big caterers. Ojenagbon then positioned herself as the provider of delicious snails with the brand name “Pepperlicious Snails”.

She tells her story.

How did YouWiN come into your operation?

“Bank of Industry sent me a mail about YouWiN, the maiden edition, but I did not know what it was. I registered and started filling the form, but when it got to the stage of submitting the business plan that was where the problem came in. I did not have a business plan so I could not complete the process.

I had a dream of where I wanted my business to be but I did not have the funds and I did not want to go to the bank to borrow money because of the high interest rate. I did not have anybody to give me the kind of money that I wanted to do what I have in my head. When I heard that YouWiN was a grant; you are not going to pay back, I was really, really interested.

The first thing I did in 2012 was to get a business plan. By the time YouWiN came out, luckily for me it was now for only women; I filled the form online like everybody, my husband and I, and submitted. About three months later, I just got a text message that I have been shortlisted for the second stage. I was like, wow! Just like that. We went for the training at LBS then the result came out on the 13th of May 2013. I could not believe it.

My name was among the 1200 people that the Federal Government was going to give YouWiN grant. Before then, I would have said it is a lie; it is not possible to get anything free in this country.

It is not possible; it is not possible. Now, I can categorically tell you that there are some things you can get free; you do not need to know anybody. All you need for YouWiN is just your business plan. That is how YouWiN came in.”

YouWin awardees get a grant of N7.5m. It has helped Silton African Kitchen set up as a proper small and medium scale enterprise, acquire equipment for the business and run it properly. Ojenagbon continues effortlessly. According to her, “YouWiN has been a very big blessing to me. I don’t think I can quantify it with money.

First of all, on the 25th of November 2013, I had the privilege of meeting with Mr President and my snails were exhibited at the State House. I presented him a box of my snails. We have a beautiful box. I made the snails inside the State House. I gave some to the President and he told me he was going to eat them.

It was an epic moment in my life. I think right now it is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me apart from having a child. Now, I get calls from where I least expect. From this my small house I make snails for the Who is Who.”

The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (You WiN!) Programme is a collaboration of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communication Technology (CT), and the Ministry of Youth Development. It holds an annual Business Plan Competition (BPC) for aspiring young entrepreneurs in Nigeria in line with the Federal Government’s drive to create more jobs for Nigerians. The Federal Government implements YouWiN in partnership with Nigeria’s private sector, who provide funding support.

Hear Ojenagbon again: “YouWiN is it for me. I would say YouWiN is my leap of faith because once I mention YouWiN now I do not need to introduce myself too much. Once I just say I am a YouWiN awardee, it opens doors for me. Then when people hear that I have met with the President a lot of them want to taste my snails because for the President to tell you I will eat your snails there must be something in that snail. So, a lot of people want to buy my snail now. They buy my snail to take abroad. I have a KLM pilot who buys my snail every month, takes it when he is going. I have high-ranking people who call me to come and do snails for them. I have an event planner right now who buys my snails for the highbrow parties in Lagos. I cannot continue to explain what YouWiN has done for me”.

Objectives of the programme

YouWin seeks to generate jobs by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youth to develop and execute business ideas that will lead to job creation. It provides aspiring youth the platform to show case their business acumen and skills to business leaders, investors and mentors in Nigeria. It attracts ideas and innovations from young entrepreneurs from Universities, Polytechnics, Technical colleges, and other post-Secondary institutions. There is also a one-time Equity grant for 1,200 selected aspiring entrepreneurs to start or expand their business concepts and mitigate start up risks. YouWin is providing business training for up to 6,000 aspiring youth entrepreneurs spread across all the geopolitical zones. Part of its objectives also includes encouraging expansion, specialization and spin-offs of existing businesses in Nigeria. The scheme also enables young entrepreneurs access a wide business professional network and improves their visibility. Participants must be below 35 years.

Mrs Ojenagbon has seven staff for the snails business hands-on but engages up to 50 prt timers when a major project comes on. She purchases her snails from Oyingbo market in Mainland Lagos but plans to establish a snail farm soon.

Frank and candid, Ojenagbon discloses that her challenge is getting office space in Ilupeju, Lagos, her preferred business location. She adds, “I know people expect me to reel out catalogue of challenges but the truth is that space is my biggest challenge now. This is exactly what happened some weeks back when the final selectors from the UK, Portsmouth Business School, UK came. They wanted to speak to somebody who is an awardee. Apparently, all the people they have been talking to have been complaining so when they interviewed me and I kept telling them the benefits, the woman looked at me and said, “Tonia, you seem not to complain”.

I told her I do not have any reason to complain. It is not as if I do not have challenges but right now, I do not have any reason to complain. She said many people were complaining the money is not enough and I said to her who would have given me that kind of money that I will now be complaining the money is not enough. I have been able to buy, let me show you some of my things (takes us to where she packed her utensils). Like I was telling you, I had a dream of where I wanted my business to be but I did not have the money to buy the things I wanted. These are chaffing dishes, one of these costs N36, 000 and right now, we have 30 of it. How would I have been able to buy them? We have plates, these are glass cups for 500 guests; we have not even opened these ones.

When you were entering, you saw plates, at the back here you saw cooler that is why I told you that space is my problem right now. These are brand new set of cutleries, some of them have not been opened, exquisite cutleries that we can use to serve even Mr President. They are not cheap. Now, tell me why should I complain?”

Mrs Ojenagbon attended Ewu TunTun Grammar School, Mafoluku, leaving with a school certificate in 1997 and also has a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from the Pan Atlantic University Lagos in 2008. She readily announces that she is from a very humble background/YouWin has done one more thing for Tonia Ojenagbon.

It has taught her to see a bigger picture of her business. “We have our water now; somebody is producing for me. How could I have thought about that if not for YouWiN? Now, when I have orders, I use the water to sell my food. I just said to myself, instead of buying somebody else’s water why don’t I make my water by myself. If we are cooking for you right now, we will show you our water. It has NAFDAC registration.”

She adds, “YouWiN is making me think big like Ben Carson would say. I have not gotten space right now but I know what I want in my head and the space issue is because I am specific about Ilupeju.

YouWiN is blessing to me. All the people who I was begging to buy things from me before; I do not need to beg now. I do not need to convince you that my food is very good right now. Once they hear I exhibited my snails in the Presidency. It would be like, is it true? I say yes; you spoke with Mr President. I say yes, I talked with him. It would be like OK I want to taste that snail. A church invited me to come and talk to them and it is because of this YouWiN thing. I get speaking engagements, come and talk to women about not giving up in their business because it was really tough for me when YouWiN had not come”.